A woman who survived the Holocaust helped kick off her proud daughter's book tour in Spring Valley on Mother's Day.Sala Kirschner, 81, was a prisoner at seven Nazi concentration camps from the age of 16 in 1940. She suffered for the next five years due to Hitler's policies, but managed to keep her faith by risking her life to keep letters that she received from friends and relatives. After she was liberated in 1945, Kirschner moved to the United States, eventually settling in Monsey. She kept her painful past a secret for the next 50 years.

Kirschner revealed her story to her daughter, Ann Kirschner, on the eve of her heart surgery. Ann penned the book "Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story" to share her family's history.

"My mother's story is one about courage, it's about freedom," the proud author said.

Spring Valley's Finkelstein Memorial Library is the starting point for the exhibit of documents from Sala's collection. The original documents are part of a collection at the New York Public Library. Sala and Ann are preparing for a three-year international tour.